Scottish shortbread

Shortbread

Ingredients

2 cups of flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup of butter room temperature
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar. 
2 Tablespoons sanding sugar optional, for dusting on cooked shortbread

Instructions

Cream butter until light and fluffy.

Slowly add sugar, scraping down sides.

Mix flour and salt together. Add flour all at once, mix just until incorporated. Do not over-mix!

Using your hands, pat into a cookie sheet, about 1/3" to 1/2" thick.

Trim edges to make neat sides. Using a knife slice into rectangles about 2"x1 1/2". Prick with a fork three times on each rectangle. Put rectangles on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes at 325* F. The shortbread should be pale and light golden. Dust with sanding sugar if desired. (I cooked mine a tad longer as I like them a bit crisper)

Haystacks

3.5 to 3 cups oats.  I like rolled oats so I use closer to 3 cups.
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
About 1.5 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 heaping tbs cocoa powder

Add the butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder in a saucepan.Bring to a rolling boil, and boil for 1 minute.

Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla, and oats and drop onto parchment paper paper.

Let cool until set, about 10-15 minutes.

Chicken meatballs with spinach and carrot

CHICKEN + CARROT + SPINACH MEATBALLS

1 lb ground chicken or turkey
1/4 cup applesauce or apple puree
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs 
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper

Instructions
1. In a large bowl, place all of the ingredients. Gently fold together with your hands until everything is well incorporated. Let sit while you pre-heat the oven. 
2. Pre-heat the oven to 450 degree F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, silicon mat or tin foil. 
3. Roll meat mixture into 1" balls. I find it helps to wet your hands throughout the process. 
4. Place the meatballs onto the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and gently browned. 

SOMETIMES I add shredded cheese too.

Double chocolate black bean cookies

Double black bean chocolate cookies

 Ingredients

1 15 oz. can black beans, washed and drained

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/2 cup good quality cocoa

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

 1/2 cup chocolate chips

 
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor, except the chocolate chips.  Pulse until all combined, then add in chocolate chips and pulse to gently chop the chips. 

3. Spoon on parchment lined baking sheet.

4. Bake 10 to 12 min and cool on a rack

Rice Pudding Stove Top

Rice Pudding

1 cup short grain rice
2 cups water
1 cinnamon stick

1 pat of butter (like a tablespoon)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla (I like the vanilla bean paste)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2ish cups raisins.  I add a bit more personally
Cinnamon to taste

Cook rice with the cinnamon stick.  Bring to boil and then cover and simmer until water is gone It takes about 15 min.
Then add everything else. Stir on med low until thickish and creamy. I like to leave it like the photo because it will continue to thicken after and no one wants dry rice pudding.

Amazing warm or cold

Green chilli chicken quinoa

INGREDIENTS

2 tbs olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1 yellow bell pepper chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
2 4 oz cans diced green chiles, drained
10 oz diced chicken
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper
2 cups shredded cheese
4 cups cooked quinoa

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
rub olive oil on the sides and bottom of a large casserole dish.
In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute onions and bell peppers with olive oil until they begin to brown. Set aside.
Combine the quinoa, chicken, 3/4 cheese, sour cream, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and onion mixture to the casserole dish and combine well.
In a separate bowl, whisk together milk and egg.  Add milk and egg to the rice mixture
Top the casserole with remaining shredded cheese and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Mushroom and blackbean "meatballs"

Ingredients:

1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounces of mushrooms, finely chopped
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley for garnish 
handful of cheese optional

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Place black beans, mushrooms, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and seasonings into large bowl. Mash all ingredients together until thoroughly combined. After chopping the mushrooms I decided to pulse all the ingredients but the egg in the food processor then added the egg. I did half with cheese half without.  Both ways are equally delicious.
Grease muffin tin with olive oil or butter. 
Roll mixture into appropriate size balls and place in muffin tin. 
Bake for approximately 15 min. being careful not to let them dry out. 
Remove from oven and serve along with your choice of sauce. (i prefer them plain myself with no sauce)
Garnish with parsley to make it pretty 
I used my mini muffin pan but you could easily use a large muffin tin or cookie sheet. Adjust cook time if  you make them large though. Mine were tablespoonish sized.